Assessing Justice System Response To Violence Against Women: A Tool for Law Enforcement, Prosecution, and Courts

This document contains an assessment tool for jurisdictions to use in developing effective responses by law enforcement, prosecution, and the courts.

Assessing the Justice System Response To Violence Against Women: A Tool for Communities to Develop Coordinated Responses

The third website installment profiles 13 communities that have undertaken efforts to reduce and prevent violence against women. The communities have developed a coordinated criminal justice response while maintaining a focus on victim safety and offender accountability.

Before it Occurs: Primary Prevention of Intimate Partner Violence and Abuse (pdf)

Focusing on primary prevention and applying lessons learned from past successes, our chapter presents a framework for meaningful health sector involvement in initiating the environmental change necessary to stop intimate partner violence and abuse before it occurs.

Domestic Violence Prevention Training: Participant Characteristics and Treatment Outcomes (pdf)

"The present study used intake assessments to identify family background, childhood memories and experiences with violence, substance abuse, male violence histories, and social interactions among the population who attended a Domestic Violence Prevention Training Program."

Effective Intervention in Domestic Violence & Child Maltreatment Cases (Executive Summary)

This is an executive summary of the document "Effective Intervention in Domestic Violence & Child Maltreatment Cases: Guidelines for Policies and Practice." The aim of this document is to offer a more comprehensive set of responses to eliminate or decrease the enormous risks that individual battered mothers, caseworkers, and judges must take on behalf of children.

Effective Intervention in Domestic Violence & Child Maltreatment Cases: Guidelines for Policy & Practice (pdf)

This 133 page publication addresses a number of issues relevant to family violence within the home and the community and specifically focuses on interventions.

Human Rights Brief

The Human Rights Brief, a student-run publication of the Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, reports on developments in international human rights and humanitarian law and provides concise legal analysis of cutting edge human rights issues.

Is Domestic Violence Screening Helpful? (pdf)

An article published by the Journal of the American Medical Association in which the author reviews the uncertainty in determining whether screening for domestic violence effectively works to the benefit of families.

Model Protocol on Safety Planning for Domestic Violence Victims with Disabilities (pdf)

The goal of this protocol and recommended policies is to support domestic violence agencies: to increase their safety planning services to people with disabilities and advance self-determination for people with disabilities by offering safety planning that is cognizant of environmental and social barriers. This protocol builds on the existing safety planning knowledge of domestic violence programs. Basic safety planning strategies will not be reviewed in this document.

Model Protocol on Screening Practices for Domestic Violence Victims with Disabilities (pdf)

The goal of this protocol is to support domestic violence agencies in the State of Washington in examining and revising their intake and screening process to include questions about disability issues. Inquiring if a victim has a disability that requires accommodation gives the program information that enables them to provide appropriate accessible services.

Model Protocol on Services for Limited English Proficient Immigrant and Refugee Victims of Domestic Violence (pdf)

This protocol/policy model intends to support domestic violence agencies in the state of Washington to increase and extend the services to immigrant and refugee women whose primary language is not English. However, this information will be relevant to any agency that is a recipient of federal funding.

Model Protocol on Working with Friends and Family of Domestic Violence Victims (pdf)

This protocol includes examples of programs that can engage friends and families in dealing with ending domestic violence.

Model Protocols on Working with Battered Women and Their Teenage Boys in Shelter (pdf)

This model protocol is useful for domestic violence shelters who do not set age limits for male children in shelter. It is equally useful for those who critically examine safety of all children and women in shelter.

Physicians and Domestic Violence: Challenges for Prevention (pdf)

The author discusses a need for health care professionals to invest their efforts in the fight against domestic violence.

The Community Engagement Continuum: Outreach, Mobilization, Organizing and Accountability to Address Violence Against Women in Asian and Pacific Islander Communities (pdf)

This report conceptualizes the Community Engagement Continuum in order to categorize a range of community based approaches in the anti-violence movement and to clarify the goals of engagement. The four points on the continuum--community outreach and education, community mobilization, community organizing, and community accountability--are defined by the level to which the strategies used lead to increases in the community's capacity to transform relations of power.

The Effects of Violence on Women's Employment

This is an abstract of a paper by Susan Lloyd of the Joint Center for Poverty Research of the Macarthur Foundation. The paper addresses whether women who are experiencing or have experienced domestic violence have lower employment rates than women who have not.

The Misuse of Police Powers in Officer Involved Domestic Violence

This document outlines some of the basics of the police culture and police training in order to gain insight into the victim’s experience. Being “culturally sensitive” helps to place in context some of the types of abuse only batterers within law enforcement inflict, how these abusers minimize and justify their behavior, and their sense of entitlement to exercise power and control over their victims.

Working with Young Children and Their Families: Recommendations for Domestic Violence Agencies and Batterer Intervention Programs (pdf)

This paper is part of series of papers that addresses the way to mobilize community and programatic resources to provide responsive help to children and families affected both by domestic violence and poverty. This particular paper addresses the way to offer support and safety for children while maintaining safety, autonomy and choide for battered women.

Working with Young Men Who Batter: Current Strategies and New Directions

This article offers an overview of the recent juvenile batterer intervention programs. It identifies risk factors for teen dating violence perpetration as described by the literature and considers the utility of these findings, describes efforts to prevent re-offenses by juvenile perpetrators of domestic violence, discusses several shortcomings inherent in post-crisis intervention, and outlines current challenges within the field.

Zero Tolerance: Stop the Violence Against Women and Children, Stop HIV/AIDS (word)

Violence is linked to HIV. Women who have experienced violence may be up to three times more likely to acquire HIV. In addition to behavioral risk factors, there are direct consequences of unprotected forced or coerced sex, and this is compounded by global HIV/AIDS policies that fail to take seriously the realities facing women and girls. Fear of violence can prevent women from seeking VCT, disclosing their serostatus, and receiving treatment when it is needed.

A High-Tech Twist on Abuse: Technology, Intimate Partner Stalking, and Advocacy

This Violence Against Women Online Resources commissioned document summarizes the existing knowledge on the use of technology to stalk. The author uses both published literature and contributions provided by numerous survivors’ reports to provide current information on the variety of sophisticated tools that are being used to stalk current and former intimate partners. The article also provides specific strategies for advocates, including safety planning information, a resource list, and a handout for survivors.

Advocacy in a Coordinated Community Response: Overview and Highlights of Three Programs

This article gives an overview of advocacy - namely individual advocacy and systems advocacy and describes them as an integral part of community response. It also stresses the importance of each type of advocacy working collectively in enabling battered women to overcome obstacles.

Advocates Serve a Distinct and Different Role Than Paralegal Prosecution Staff

A report about the differences between advocates and paralegals and how each role affects the justice system.

Advocating for Domestic Violence Victims Who Have Been Arrested for Domestic Violence

This article examines the impact of increasing arrest rates of women in domestic violence investigations and offers advocates information on how to assist victims that have been arrested.

Advocating for Women in the Criminal Justice System in Cases of Rape, Domestic Violence and Child Abuse

The handbook consisits of various practical forms which were developed by advocates to evaluate criminal justice services for women in cases of rape, domestic violence and child abuse. It also has theoretical chapters on understanding how criminal justice systems can help and harm women.

An Advocate's Guide to Full Faith and Credit

This guide was developed for advocates who assist victims of domestic violence with orders for protection. It provides a glossary of full faith and credit terminology, advocate tips, and information about enforcement of full faith and credit legislation.

An Evaluation of Minnesota's Shelter Program for Battered Women: A Report to the Minnesota Legislature

This report is about Minnesota's shelters for battered women and their children. Shelters include residential facilities and a network of hotels, motels, and safe homes used by shelter providers. Residential shelters offer, at a minimum, security, lodging, and meals, and are available 24 hours per day. Shelter staff and volunteers also advocate for battered women and offer a variety of services to help women escape abuse and move on to a better life. Although shelters are independent, nonprofit entities, they receive most of their financial support from the state.

Assessing Social Risks of Battered Women (pdf)

This document explores the concept of safety planning. Specifically that effective risk assessment must take into account the diverse social factors of a battered woman’s life that impact her choices and decisions, especially regarding her experiences of battering.

Assessing the Justice System Response To Violence Against Women: A Tool for Communities to Develop Coordinated Responses

The third website installment profiles 13 communities that have undertaken efforts to reduce and prevent violence against women. The communities have developed a coordinated criminal justice response while maintaining a focus on victim safety and offender accountability.

Assisting Immigrant and Refugee Women Abused by Ther Sponsors: A Guide for Service Providers (pdf)

This guide is written for social service providers in Canada who deal with immigrant and refugee women who are abused by their visa sponsors under the family sponsorship program.

Broken Rainbow Conference Report 2002

The report summarizes the Broken Rainbow Conference, which was held in London, England on May 12, 2002 to discuss how to change the situation of LGBT people facing domestic violence and abuse.

Building Bridges Between Domestic Violence Organizations and Child Protective Services

This paper provides both background information and a framework for collaboration with child protection agencies that will support the work of domestic violence advocates as they try to improve safety for women and their children.

Building Bridges to Stop Violence against Immigrant Women: Effective Strategies & Promising Models for Reaching and Serving Immigrant Women

Contents Include: Barriers Facing Immigrant Victims of Violence against Women; Effective Strategies for Reaching & Serving Immigrant Victims of Violence against Women; Promising Models for Reaching & Serving Immigrant Victims of Violence against Women. The .pdf file size is very large.

Building Opportunities for Battered Women's Safety and Self-Sufficiency

Practice paper from a series of papers for an initiative to provide technical assistance to state administrators and domestic violence advocates implementing the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA) in TANF and child support enforcement (CSE) contexts. This initiative is a partnership between the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (NRC) and the Administration for Children and Families, DHHS. This paper, Practice Paper #1, includes background information about domestic violence and the options battered women need to be safe and self-sufficient, and concise discussions of key implementation issues.

Building the Rhythm of Change: Developing Leadership and Improving Services Within the Battered Rural Immigrant Women's Community (pdf)

This manual provides suggestions and guidance on how to organize projects at improving services and eliminating barriers for ensuring safety for battered rural immigrant women.

Casa de Esperanza: Mobilizing Latinas and Latino Communities to End Domestic Violence

This issue of the BCS newsletter features the strengths-based, community engagement approach of Casa de Esperanza, of St. Paul, MN. The main article describes their work of mobilizing Latinas and Latino communities to end domestic violence. Lessons learned are highlighted.

Child Abuse and Domestic Violence: Creating Community Partnerships for Safe Families - Suggested Components of an Effective Child Welfare Response to Domestic Violence

November 1997. This paper is meant to serve as a working document rather than the "last word," and it will be subject to revision as child welfare and domestic violence agencies on the vanguard of creating partnerships learn more about the link between child abuse and domestic violence, and how to best protect both children and their abused mothers. While the suggested practices and policies are by no means exhaustive, it is hoped that setting them out will save agencies from having to "reinvent the wheel," and will, at the same time, motivate them to add additional "spokes."

Child Abuse and Domestic Violence: Creating Community Partnerships for Safe Families - Suggested Components of an Effective Child Welfare Response to Domestic Violence

November 1997. This paper is meant to serve as a working document rather than the "last word," and it will be subject to revision as child welfare and domestic violence agencies on the vanguard of creating partnerships learn more about the link between child abuse and domestic violence, and how to best protect both children and their abused mothers. While the suggested practices and policies are by no means exhaustive, it is hoped that setting them out will save agencies from having to "reinvent the wheel," and will, at the same time, motivate them to add additional "spokes."

Confidentiality & Information Sharing (pdf)

This document addresses the legal and confidentiality issues advocates face when working with the child protection system and juvenile courts. It also encourages advocacy, and focuses on the information issues advocates face when they counsel battered mothers whose children have been placed in the child protection system. Advocates need to know what to do with the information they gather from victims of domestic violence and what the laws say about how they use that information. Each section offers tips and suggestions for advocates, questions for their consideration, and examples of effective practices. The appendix features worksheets that expand upon the topics addressed in each section.

Covering Domestic Violence: A Guide for Journalists and Other Media Professionals (pdf)

The information in this guide will help link journalists to domestic violence advocates in their community, who can be utilized as sources to improve coverage. By accurately covering domestic violence homicides and avoiding sources and questions that perpetuate myths, journalists can make a significant difference in helping the community understand how domestic violence can go unchecked to the point of murder.

Criminal Prosecution of Domestic Violence

This article identifies appropriate goals to be pursued in woman battering and the special challenges these cases present to prosecutors. It offers guidelines for improving collaboration between prosecutors and advocates.

Domestic Violence and Family Support Programs: Creating Opportunities to Help Young Children and Their Families (pdf)

This paper is part of series of paper that addresses the way to mobilize community and programatic resources to provide responsive help to children and families affected both by domestic violence and poverty. This particular paper provides recommendations to family support staff and administrator to address issue of domestic violence.

Elder Abuse Speaker's Kit (pdf)

A resource kit for protecting older people and people with disabilities.

Eliminating Barriers to Services for Latina/o Survivors of Sexual and Intimate Partner Violence (pdf)

This is the position statement by Latino advocates to address barriers to services for Latina/o survivors of sexual and intimate partner violence

Enough Not Yet Enough: An Educational Resource Manual On Domestic Violence Advocacy For Persons With Disability in Washington State

The goal of this manual is to expand the definition of what is "enough" when it comes to domestic violence advocacy, so that all domestic violence services are as accessible as possible to all persons regardless to disability.

Evaluating Coordinated Community Responses to Domestic Violence

This VAWnet report presents a summary and analysis of research on coordinated community responses to domestic violence. It provides an overview of different mechanisms for coordination, examines the individual components of a coordinated community response, and addresses the overall response. The focus here will be on the justice system, advocacy and programs for abusers.

Evaluations of Advocacy Efforts to End Intimate Male Violence Against Women

This VAWnet paper describes the available research that has evaluated advocacy efforts to end intimate violence against women. The first section describes evaluation of Community Intervention Projects, while the second section presents a longitudinal and experimental evaluation of an advocacy intervention.

Every Life Lost is a Call for Change: Findings and Recommendations from the Washington State Domestic Violence Fatality Review (pdf)

This report provides the most recent statistics on Washington state domestic violence fatalities; findings and recommendations from the reviewed cases of the past two years; and tips for utilizing the Fatality Review reports to mobilize change in your community.

Expanding Solutions for Domestic Violence and Poverty: What Battered Women with Abused Children Need from Their Advocates

This paper was originally delivered as a talk at the Violence Institute of New Jersey, June 21, 2000. This paper discusses the links between the abuse of women and the maltreatment of their children and the connection between domestic violence and poverty.

Forced Bonding or Community Collaboration? Partnerships Between Science and Practice in Research on Woman Battering

This paper explores factors contributing to successful collaborations between practitioners and researchers studying the impact of adult domestic violence and the effectiveness of services aimed at stopping it. The paper identifies potential challenges to research partnerships and, through interviews with the researchers and practitioners from four successful collaborations, highlights strategies for effectively navigating these challenges. It concludes by arguing that collaborative partnerships between science and practice communities strengthen the process of scientific inquiry and program development.

Form for Evaluating Police Response to Domestic Violence: For Use by Victims and Advocates

This form was put together for use by domestic violence victims and their advocates. It's designed to assist in evaluating the police response and the police report on domestic violence calls. The form should help identify problems in police response so that these problems can be corrected. It can also be used provide feedback to the police department and to the community on how well police are responding to domestic violence cases.
This form is also availabe in PDF format http://www.justicewomen.com/police_evaluation.pdf

This form is also available in Spanish at http://www.justicewomen.com/help_police_evaluation_sp.html (HTML version) and http://www.justicewomen.com/police_evaluation_sp.pdf (PDF version).

Guidelines for Conducting Family Team Conferences When There is a History of Domestic Violence (pdf)

These guidelines are meant to assist workers who are participating in or facilitating FTCs when there has been a history of domestic violence. The goal is to ensure that the safety of all family members is addressed in a supportive and empowering manner throughout the process of FTC.

Guidelines for Public Child Welfare Agencies Serving Children and Families Experiencing Domestic Violence

The guidelines describe model policies, practices, programs, and protocols that address the multiple needs of families and children affected by domestic violence and child maltreatment. They are based on recommendations contained in the Greenbook and on the thoughtful recommendations provided by public child welfare agency directors, domestic violence advocates, child advocates, and legal representatives.

Healing Shattered Lives: Assessment of Selected Domestic Violence Programs in Primary Health Care Settings

It profiles promising programs that address domestic violence at community health care organizations. This document is designed to encourage primary health care providers to treat domestic violence among their client base and to engage providers, administrators, policymakers and others in a coordinated, community-wide response to domestic violence.

Helping Children Thrive - Supporting Woman Abuse Survivors as Mothers: A Resource to Support Parenting (pdf)

This 76-page resource is written for service providers assisting women who have survived woman abuse. Material addresses the needs of abused women as mothers, how abusive men parent, how abusive men affect family dynamics, effects of power and control tactics on mothers, the potential impact of woman abuse on children of different ages, and strategies used by young people to cope with violence in their homes. Guidance on parenting children who have lived with violence is also offered. Forty-four pages are designed as handouts for women, to be distribued as an adjunct to individual or group interventions on woman abuse or on parenting.

Helping Young Children Affected by Domestic Violence: The Role of Pediatric Health Settiings (pdf)

This paper is part of series of paper that addresses the way to mobilize community and programatic resources to provide responsive help to children and families affected both by domestic violence and poverty. This particular paper addresses importance of pediatric health care and mental health care in addressing domestic violence.

Housing and Battered Women: A Case Study of Domestic Violence Programs in Iowa

The purpose of this paper is to increase the domestic violence advocacy communitys knowledge about housing issues, federal housing programs, and strategies to comprehensively address battered women's needs for housing.

Housing and Battered Women: Increasing Battered Women's Access to Federal Housing Programs

This paper encourages advocates to collaborate in an effort to support proposed federal housing regulations that begin to address some of the housing needs of battered women and to submit comments to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to support those sections of the proposed regulations that could give battered women faster access to housing.

Housing and Battered Women: Using Housing Vouchers to Assist Battered Women Move from Welfare to Work

This paper provides domestic violence advocates with information and strategies to promote the use of this housing program as a resource to assist battered women moving from welfare to work.

How to Write a Letter to the Judge for Victims of Rape, Domestic Violence and Child Abuse

Gives information that should help you write a more effective letter. Provides four examples of different kinds of letters you as a victim or victim advocate, may want to write to the judge in the criminal case. Also available in Spanish.

Impact: Feature Issue on Violence Against Women with Developmental or Other Disabilities

Examines how disability service providers, sexual and domestic violence programs, law enforcement, researchers, and women with disabilities can work together to respond to a major civil rights, quality of life, and health issue for women with disabilities - the presence of violence in their lives.

Innovative Strategies to Address Domestic Violence in Asian and Pacific Islander Communities: Examining Models, Themes and Interventions

This report addresses API domestic violence intervention strategies within the U.S. as both accommodations and alternatives to mainstream domestic violence programs. They have adopted mainstream assumptions and approaches. And, they have crafted innovations based upon necessity and, in some cases, vision and intentionality. Emerging themes as discussed by the API women interviewed in this report highlight a number of areas which capture our attention for further exploration. While the findings of this report bring up broad, diverse and, at times, contradictory policies and practices among API programs, existing models, themes and interventions for the future programs are examined.

Innovative Strategies to Provide Housing for Battered Women

This paper highlights how eight domestic violence organizations are responding to the housing needs of battered women in their communities.

Integrating Anti-Poverty Work into Domestic Violence Advocacy: Iowa's Experience (pdf)

This document describes how the Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence (ICADV) approached integrating economic advocacy into its work in order to better respond to the financial concerns of battered women and their families. Domestic violence programs in Iowa incorporated this work into their services by training advocates, developing new collaborative partnerships, and providing economic advocacy to battered women at three pilot sites. In addition, the ICADV secured funding to support its commitment to the institutionalization of economic advocacy in 2001.

Justice and Safety for All: Promoting Dialogue Between Public Defenders and Victim Advocates (pdf)

This document explores the relationship between the lawyers who defend individuals charged with domestic violence and the advocates who work for the rights and needs of victims of domestic violence. Because defenders and advocates often serve the same families, improving their relationship is part of providing just and safe resolutions in domestic violence cases. Filled with the voices of a handful of defenders and advocates talking about each other and their work, Justice and Safety for All is written to help other advocates and defenders begin their own conversations.
A film accompanies this publication. "In Their Own Words" is a 15-minute documentary that explores public defenders' and victim advocates' opinions about each other and their work on domestic violence cases. Copies of the film can be obtained from the National Associates Programs department of the Vera Institute of Justice, 212-334-1300.

Model Protocol for Advocates Working with Battered Women Involved in the Child Protection System (pdf)

This protocol includes policy and practice recommendations for advocates who work with battered women involved in the child protection system.

Model Protocol on Working with Friends and Family of Domestic Violence Victims (pdf)

This protocol includes examples of programs that can engage friends and families in dealing with ending domestic violence.

Model Protocols on Working with Battered Women and Their Teenage Boys in Shelter (pdf)

This model protocol is useful for domestic violence shelters who do not set age limits for male children in shelter. It is equally useful for those who critically examine safety of all children and women in shelter.

Multi-disciplinary Teams Including Child Protection Teams Framework for Co-Occuring Domestic Violence and Child Maltreatment (pdf)

This series was created through a collaboration of the Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, the Vermont Department for Children and Families and the Vermont Center for Crime Victim Services. Part V describes the structure and purpose of child protection teams, provides guiding questions for domestic violence advocate members of such teams and highlights recommendations.

New Challenges for the Battered Women's Movement: Building Collaborations and Improving Public Policy for Poor Women

Originally presented by Susan Schechter as a talk at the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence Statewide Training Institute, March 17, 1997, Harrisburg, PA and revised for the Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence Administrative Development Conference, May 8, 1997, Ames, Iowa.

Not a Minute More: Ending Violence Against Women (pdf)

This report highlights many of the achievements towards the empowerment of women and indicates what must be done to build on them. It provides examples of practices as well as efforts that did not meet the goals set out for them — and explores why. It looks at the challenges ahead and asks what the most fruitful next steps might be.

Passport to Safety: Some Concluding Remarks

Under VAWA, gender-motivated violence is a form of sex discrimination and as such requires civil rights protection. In this concluding chapter the volume editors revisit salient issues and suggest strategies for multiagency coordination and cooperation.

Police Domestic Violence: A Handbook for Victims

This handbook highlights some of the most significant advantages and disadvantages of the personal, financial, and legal options that victims of law enforcement perpetrators must consider.

Providing a Way Station: A study of the Joint Apna Ghar -The Enterprising Kitchen Program to Provide Employment Services to Immigrant Women Victimes of Domestic Violence (pdf)

This report examines innovative partnership designed to assist the employment needs of immigrant women who are survivors of domestic violence.

Raising Our Voices: Queer Asian Women's Response to Relationship Violence

This report is based on information derived from both the local and national groups. For purposes of the report all are referred to as focus groups. The goal of this report is to encourage all domestic violence programs to provide services to not only the queer Asian women's community, but to all under-served communities.

Responding to Child Maltreatment and Domestic Violence

This article discusses the ongoing debate between child protection workers and domestic abuse advocates. It also outlines the similarities between the two groups as they work towards similar goals.

Serving Women with Developmental Disabilities: Strategies for the Justice System

Women with developmental disabilities experiencie a far higher rate of sexual assault and rape than other women, and experience this victimization repeatedly. This article explores some of the issues facing police, prosecutors, judges, advocates, and other members of the criminal justice system, and provide some suggestions for how they can better serve women with developmental disabilities.

Stop Violence Against Women: Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)

This website is a tool for the promotion of women's human rights in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). This site addresses violence against women as one of the most pervasive human rights abuses worldwide. The STOPVAW site provides women's rights advocates with information focused on ending the most endemic forms of violence against women in the region

The Community Engagement Continuum: Outreach, Mobilization, Organizing and Accountability to Address Violence Against Women in Asian and Pacific Islander Communities (pdf)

This report conceptualizes the Community Engagement Continuum in order to categorize a range of community based approaches in the anti-violence movement and to clarify the goals of engagement. The four points on the continuum--community outreach and education, community mobilization, community organizing, and community accountability--are defined by the level to which the strategies used lead to increases in the community's capacity to transform relations of power.

The Evaluation of the Coordinated Response to Domestic Violence in Omaha (Phase II): High-Risk Case Review and Information Technology

This report documents the findings from the Phase II evaluation of the coordinated response to domestic violence in Omaha and Douglas County.

The Military Response to Victims of Domestic Violence: Tools for Civilian Advocates

This handbook is designed for civilian advocates working with military victims of domestic violence—both active duty victims and partners of active duty service members—to help advocates respond to the uniquely challenging needs of this population of survivors.

The New Welfare Law: Implications for Battered Women

This paper is the first in a series of three papers that aim to provide relevant and practical information about the new "Welfare Law" and its effects on battered women and their children to domestic violence advocates and others working in the field.

Tips for Social Workers, Counselors, Health Workers, Teachers, Clergy and Others Helping Victims of Rape, Domestic Violence, and Child Abuse

This is a good introduction to advocacy concepts used when working with victims of intimate violence, rape and child abuse. It is designed for use both as a workshop outline and as a guide for direct interactions with individual clients.

Trafficking: Considerations and Recommendations for Domestic Violence Advocates

Offers domestic violence advocates some considerations and recommendations for working with victims of trafficking. After a brief overview of statistics and issue analysis, the document provides considerations and recommendations for advocates in seven key areas: (1) Arrest, (2) Custody and Release, (3) Legal representation and the investigation process, (4) Endangerment and confidentiality, (5) Shelter Services, (6) Complex traumas and oppressions, and (7) Medical records and care.

Transitional Housing Services for Victims of Domestic Violence: A Report from the Housing Committee of the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence

This paper describes results of phone interviews with twelve domestic violence transitional housing programs across the country. Key considerations for new and emerging programs are offered. Program profiles are also provided.

UNIFEM Annual Report 2004/2005 (pdf)

The Annual Report documents UNIFEM's work to foster women's empowerment and gender equality around the world. It highlights some of the organization's initiatives during the year 2004–2005, among which were initiatives in promoting women's political participation and leadership in post-conflict situations, easing the burden of HIV/AIDS on women, promoting women's right to own land, and supporting the creation and implementation of gender-responsive budgets.

VAWA Grassroots Organizing Toolkit (pdf)

This step-by-step guide shows communities how to organize support for the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act.

Welfare and Domestic Violence Against Women: Lessons from Research

This VAWnet paper provides a succinct summary of welfare research, with a focus on the aspects that have implications for advocates and others who work with women who receive TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families- the program established under PRWORA).

What New Public Opinion Research Tells Us About Men's Willingness to Support Efforts to Prevent Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault

This page links you to scripts, slides, and handouts from a web conference that, "featuring one of the nation's leading experts on violence against women and one of its top pollsters -- explored the latest research into men's views on domestic violence and sexual assault. Do men think this violence is common? Do they worry about the safety of women they know? What exactly are they willing to do to help stop violence? What messages resonate most with men? How can advocates engage men more effectively in prevention? In addition to reviewing the results of a new poll, experts discussed effective strategies for engaging men."

Witnessing Domestic Violence: The Effect on Children

The author discusses the conequences of child exposure to domestic violence across various ages, as well as prevention and screening techniques. Community advocacy is emphasized.

A Review of Standards for Batterer Intervention Programs

This document reports on the current status of standards for batterer intervention programs in each U.S. state, describes the common elements of standards, and explores the positive and negative aspects of standards. It includes a chart outlining the status of standards in each state.

Assessing Risk To Children From Batterers (pdf)

This document provides an overview of potential sources of physical and psychological injury to children from contact with batterers, details recommendations for evaluating the risk to children and provides assessment guidelines that professionals can apply in cases where a batterer admits to a history of abusiveness by asserting that he has changed. Information is also provided regarding the necessary context for children's recovery from exposure to battering behavior.

Batterer Intervention Programs: Where Do We Go From Here? (pdf)

This report analyzes the possibility that previous batterer intervention program evaluations may be methodologically flawed and/or that something may be wrong with the programs themselves.

Batterer Intervention State Standards

This is an extensive directory of state and county standards for batterer intervention and domestic violence education.

Batterer Intervention: Program Approaches and Criminal Justice Strategies

This February 1998 report strives to improve the working relationship and mutual understanding between criminal justice personnel and batterer program staff. A secondary goal is to expand the debate about innovative batterer intervention approaches to include criminal justice personnel who work with batterers daily and criminal justice policymakers who are concerned with domestic violence. Published by the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs at the National Institute of Justice.

Batterer Intervention: Where Do We Go From Here? - Workshop Notes

This article documents the main conversations held at the Batterer Intervention Workshop. Participants discussed several areas that need attention: the definition of a successful outcome, researcher-practitioner partnerships, determining which evaluation designs are most effective under which circumstances, and recruitment and attrition issues. The Workshop was held January 17, 2002.

Breaking the Cycle: Fathering After Violence: Curriculum Guidelines and Tools for Batterer Intervention Programs

This curriculum guideline offers information, exercises and more to help batterer intervention programs to help fathers who have perpetrated family violence relate to their children in positive ways.

Characteristics of Batterers in A Multi-Site Evaluation of Batterer Intervention Systems

Includes: A summary of findings for a 12-month follow-up; A summary of findings for a 15-month follow-up; and List of Papers and Staff

Controversies and Recent Studies of Batterer Intervention Program Effectiveness

This VAWnet document examines the effectiveness of batterer intervention programs and particularly addresses how they work, for whom do they work best, and which elements of the program are most important.

Discharge Criteria for Batterer Programs

Clinical judgement typically plays a central role in the discharge of the patients from alcohol and mental health treatment. Batterer programs instead rely almost exclusively on program attendance to determine discharge. This paper uses a 10-item set of criteria to rate participants in a 13-week court mandated batterer program. It concludes with a discussion of methodological limitations, practical issues, and alternative applications of discharge criteria.

Do Batterers' Programs Work?

This article examines the complexities of the question: "Do batterer's programs work?" It begins by exploring the word "works". It then scrutinizes published outcome data on the issue through various lenses of public debate on treatment effectiveness. It concludes with suggested policy and program directions for future interventions.

Domestic Violence and Probation

This article offers specialized management techniques that probation officers can use to monitor batterers and intervene in domestic violence cases more effectively. The author offers suggestions on how to manage offenders on probation, respond to common excuses, and handle those offenders least likely to be held accountable.

Effective Intervention in Domestic Violence & Child Maltreatment Cases: Guidelines for Policy & Practice (pdf)

This 133 page publication addresses a number of issues relevant to family violence within the home and the community and specifically focuses on interventions.

Ending Gender-Based Violence: A call for global action to involve men

In this report, seven masculinity researchers write about masculinity in different parts of the world and about how masculinity is often linked to violence. These acts of violence are committed not only against women and children, but also against other men. The writers suggest a number of ways in which men can be involved in working to combat men’s violence.

Engendering Change: Transforming Gender Roles in Asian & Pacific Islander Communities (pdf)

The introduction begins by providing a description of the societal context in which domestic violence occurs, and leads into a discussion about two batterer intervention programs for Asian men, and concludes with practice implications.

Focus Groups of African-American Men: Perspectives on Addressing Domestic Violence

This study is the first step toward a larger, multi-site project that would obtain valuable information about how to help African-American men prevent or eliminate violence in relationships. The purpose of this paper is to identify realistic approaches by which African-American men can confront friends, neighbors, relatives, co-workers or strangers, who are African-American men who batter. What is unique about this study is that African-American men are the key informants.

Guidelines for Men Who Batter Programs

Developed by the People Who Work With People Who Batter, Minneapolis, Minnesota. 1997. It is intended that these guidelines be a guide for new and existing programs toward the development and delivery of services to men involved in heterosexual relationships who have acted abusively toward a partner or spouse.

Intervention for Men Who Batter: A Review of Research

This chapter appears in the book Understanding partner violence: Prevalence, causes, consequences and solutions, edited by S. Stith and M. Straus (1995). Minneapolis, MN: National Council on Family Relations.

Intervention Strategies with Child Maltreating Men (pdf)

This document outlines the importance of healthy parenting following child maltreatment and adds to our understanding of adult male maltreatment intervention by offering some important insights and actionable recommendations.

Limits and Risks of Programs for Wife Batterers

This extensive and multi-part 1995 paper was assembled by the Montreal Men Against Sexism. Due to it's size (approx. 100 pages total), the Microsoft Word version will take some time to download.

Man to Man: A Guidebook to Men in Abusive Relationships (pdf)

This is a 50-page easy to read book with personal accounts and a few basic exercises to get men started working on change and reinforce domestic violence counseling. The book has five small chapters including: Facing the Facts. But I'm not Abusive!; It's Not My Fault!; What Can I Do about Abuse?; and How Do I Change?

Recruitment and Retention in Intimate Partner Violence Research (pdf)

This report focuses on methods of recruitment and retention in intimate partner violence research with particular attention to attrition in batterer treatment programs and retention in longitudinal studies. Case studies highlighting recruitment and retention methods in five different intimate partner violence research programs are described by their respective investigators. A set of guidelines is offered for recruitment and retention in intimate partner violence research, which is intended to help guide the field by offering suggestions that can lead to successful recruitment and retention efforts in a way that maintains the safety of participants and researchers alike.

Restraining Order Violators, Corrective Programming and Recidivism (pdf)

Produced by the Massachusetts Trial Court - Office of the Commissioner of Probation in 2004. This document is the summarized results of a study regarding the ongoings of a domestic violence perpetrator/offender in the criminal courts. Highlights include, the relationship between victime and offender, batterer intervention programs, as well as other forms of treatment/management.

Standards For Batterers Intervention Programs

Batterer Intervention Program in the Central Indiana Program, Certified by the Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence. A site dedicated to helping persons seek information, counseling and other resources which aim to intervene in both male and female batterers lives.

Substance Abuse and Woman Abuse by Male Partners

This piece explores the overlap between substance abuse and battering. The author examines various perspectives regarding the relationship between substance abuse and violence, explores research on substance abuse by batterers, and discusses substance abuse by battered women. Includes recommendations for improving interventions with batterers who also abuse substances.

The Impact of Mandatory Court Review On Batterer Program Compliance: An Evaluation of the Pittsburgh Municipal Courts and Domestic Abuse Counseling Center (DACC)

Summary of an evaluation of the court review process for men referred to batterer counseling from the Domestic Violence Court in Pittsburgh.

View and Commentary from the Trenches: A Battering Intervention Project's Reaction to Participation as a Site in Program Evaluation

The PIVOT Project of Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse in Houston is participating in a multi-site battering intervention program evaluation being conducted by Edward Gondolf and funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This paper presents the view of collaborative research from the perspective of the program staff and what they learned from the process.

Violence Against Women - Synthesis of Research on Offender Interventions (pdf)

This report provides an overview of the latest research on interventions for men who assault women—wives, girlfriends, and acquaintances. The assaults may be physical or sexual, and they almost always involve psychological abuse. The overview begins with a description of the major components of current programs and then describes what is known about effective assessment and treatment methods. Several topics are covered that are often of interest to practitioners, including methods for enhancing treatment motivation, assessment of dangerousness, and culturally competent practice. The role of research in resolving controversial issues and the characteristics of sound evaluations are also discussed. Programs reviewed will be those commonly labeled as "social service," "treatment," and "psycho-educational," as opposed to purely criminal justice interventions.

Working with Young Children and Their Families: Recommendations for Domestic Violence Agencies and Batterer Intervention Programs (pdf)

This paper is part of series of papers that addresses the way to mobilize community and programatic resources to provide responsive help to children and families affected both by domestic violence and poverty. This particular paper addresses the way to offer support and safety for children while maintaining safety, autonomy and choide for battered women.

Working with Young Men Who Batter: Current Strategies and New Directions

This article offers an overview of the recent juvenile batterer intervention programs. It identifies risk factors for teen dating violence perpetration as described by the literature and considers the utility of these findings, describes efforts to prevent re-offenses by juvenile perpetrators of domestic violence, discusses several shortcomings inherent in post-crisis intervention, and outlines current challenges within the field.

Children's Exposure to Domestic Violence: Is It Child Abuse?

"Each year, millions of children are exposed to incidents of adult domestic violence. Children in violent households are at increased risk of physical abuse and often experience heightened levels of depression, anxiety and aggression. Policymakers are concerned about the effects of domestic violence on children's safety and well-being. Some are considering whether to treat exposure to domestic violence as child maltreatment and to require that such exposure be reported to and investigated by child welfare authorities. Some domestic violence experts have criticized this approach as unnecessary and counterproductive. This report reviews what states have done, summarizes the arguments for and against this new and controversial strategy, briefly reviews some alternative policy approaches to the problem, and identifies some key issues for legislators."

Mental Health Services for Children Who Witness Domestic Violence

This article discusses the effects of exposure to domestic violence, identification and assessment, and mental health interventions.

A Blueprint for Responding to Children Exposed to Domestic Violence in Pediatric Health Care (pdf)

The purpose of this document is to provide training for health care providers when working with and screening for children exposed to domestic violence. A list of recommendations is included.

A Judicial Checklist for Children and Youth Exposed to Violence (Actual Checklist for Consideration) (pdf)

A detailed checklist outlining information for judges to consider when working with cases where children or youth have been exposed to violence. A technical assistance brief detailing educational information and knowledge that is important for judges to be familiar with, can be found under the additional title.

A Judicial Checklist for Children and Youth Exposed to Violence (Informational Reading) (pdf)

A technical assistance brief that addresses the need for judges to understand the impact violence has on children and adolescents. The detailed checklist outlining information for judges to consider is located separate from this material.

Assessing Child Exposure to Adult Domestic Violence (word)

This article addresses the current available assessment tools for measuring the level of exposure to domestic violence children have witnessed within the home. A brief review of the existing measurements is offered as well as the need for a more thoroughly refined assessment tool. Suggestions are offered.

Assessing Risk To Children From Batterers (pdf)

This document provides an overview of potential sources of physical and psychological injury to children from contact with batterers, details recommendations for evaluating the risk to children and provides assessment guidelines that professionals can apply in cases where a batterer admits to a history of abusiveness by asserting that he has changed. Information is also provided regarding the necessary context for children's recovery from exposure to battering behavior.

Balancing the Harms - Protecting Children

The author addresses the need for change in the child protection system and the current means through which children are removed from the home in domestic violence situations. The page provides a short video clip from the author's work-in-progress which addresses actual cases.

Barbara J. Hart's Collected Writings

18 of Barbara J. Hart's most recent writings. Barbara J. Hart is the Legal Director of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Associate Director of the Battered Women's Justice Project, and Legal Consultant to the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence.

Behind Closed Doors: The Impact of Domestic Violence on Children (pdf)

This document is a collection of information about the extent of child exposure, the key finding of the research in this field, and recommendations for policymakers.

Building Bridges Between Domestic Violence Organizations and Child Protective Services

This paper provides both background information and a framework for collaboration with child protection agencies that will support the work of domestic violence advocates as they try to improve safety for women and their children.

Child Abuse and Domestic Violence: Creating Community Partnerships for Safe Families - Suggested Components of an Effective Child Welfare Response to Domestic Violence

November 1997. This paper is meant to serve as a working document rather than the "last word," and it will be subject to revision as child welfare and domestic violence agencies on the vanguard of creating partnerships learn more about the link between child abuse and domestic violence, and how to best protect both children and their abused mothers. While the suggested practices and policies are by no means exhaustive, it is hoped that setting them out will save agencies from having to "reinvent the wheel," and will, at the same time, motivate them to add additional "spokes."

Child Protective Services for Children of Battered Women: Practice and Controversy

1995. A look at the difficulties that child protection workers face when trying to make a situation safe for children who witness woman abuse.

Child Welfare Practices for Cases with Domestic Violence (pdf)

This is the third edition of Child Welfare Practice for Cases with Domestic Violence, developed as part of an overall effort to increase the safety of adults and children through collaboration of domestic violence services and child protective services.

Child Welfare: Health & Human Services

This website provides a number of documents and related resources, particlarly for child welfare workers. Training resources and interventions are provided as well.

Child Witnesses to Domestic Violence - Common Questions

Frequently Asked Questions about child witnessing of domestic violence are answered along with information about how children are impacted, the long-term effects, and how to help.

Child Witnesses to Domestic Violence: A Meta-Analytic Review (pdf)

This study compared children exposed to domestic violence to children not so exposed. The results showed that child witnesses to domestic violence exhibit more negative outcomes.

Children and Domestic Violence

A variety of resources are provided for professionals and for any person interested in learning more about children and domestic violence, including books and training materials.

Children and Domestic Violence (pdf)

This document is based on a presentation done by Steve Cohen. It reviews the impact of exposure to domestic violence on children, the scope of the problem, and a variety of resources are also provided.

Children and Family Violence: The Unnoticed Victims

May 1994 report based on a New Zealand study. This document goes into detail about child exposure to domestic violence and the consequences of such witnessing.

Children Exposed to Domestic Violence (pdf)

In this brief, an outline is provided that details the domestic violence problem, how it effects children by age and gender, the connection between DV and child abuse, and Rhode Islands specific efforts to combat the problem.

Children Exposed to Domestic Violence: "Silent Witnesses" (pdf)

This document offers statistics and also discusses the impact of child exposure to domestic violence as children progress in age.

Children Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence: Research Findings and Implications for Intervention

Prevalence rates are discussed in addition to moderating factors for childrens' responses to domestic violence. Group and individual interventions are reviewed in the context of witnessing DV.

Children Exposed to Violence: A Handbook for Police Trainers to Increase Understanding and Improve Community Responses (pdf)

This handbook is for domestic violence specialists and trainers in police departments. It is designed to increase the understanding of children’s exposure to domestic violence by officers responding to these situations.

Children Exposed to Violence: A Teacher's Handbook to Increase Understanding and Improve Community Responses (pdf)

This 26-page resource helps educators understand how violence affects children at different ages, what teachers may see in the classroom, teaching strategies, handling parent-attended events, and supporting students who disclose.

Children Hurt Too: How You Can Help (pdf)

This booklet contains information put together by King County in Washington, that can help parents to talk to their children about the violence, and help children to recover from their experience so they don’t become abusers or victims themselves.

Children Who Witness Domestic Violence: The Invisible Victims (pdf)

A review of the effects of exposure to both domestic violence and community violence is the focus of this work, and the author discusses what is learned by children who witness such violence. Further directions for research are also included.

Children's Domestic Violence Assessment Tool (pdf)

"The purpose of this tool is to help assess safety, risk, strengths and needs. It may be used to assist in decision making and service planning during any stage of the CPS case (assessment through case planning and case management) in conjunction with required Structured Decision Making Tools. The tool is designed for use with the child(ren) in CPS cases involving domestic violence."

Children's Exposure to Domestic Violence

This article reviews the various effects, possible symptoms, protective factors, and the professional response.

Children's Exposure to Domestic Violence: A Guide to Research and Resources (pdf)

Published in collaborative work with the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, this document outlines: the impace of domestic violence on children, the legal issues and system responses affecting children exposed to domestic violence, and provides useful resources which address this specific area of interest.

Children's Exposure to Domestic Violence: Striving Toward an Ecological Framework for Interventions (pdf)

The authors discuss the implications for childhood exposure to domestic violence and reviews a myriad of interventions that have been shown to counteract some of the consequences.

Children's Exposure to Violence

This website provides access to research articles about a variety of topics related to child exposure to domestic violence. Articles can be searched for by topic.

Children's Exposure to Violence: The Safe Start Initiative

An April 2001 Factsheet presents an overview of the Safe Start Initiative. Researchers estimate that as many as 10 million U.S. children witness or are victims of violence in their homes or communities each year. The Safe Start Initiative, which was developed by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention in partnership with the Office of Justice Programs and the Department of Health and Human Services, is designed to prevent and reduce the impact of violence on young children and their families through the development of comprehensive and collaborative service delivery systems.

Children's Witnessing of Adult Domestic Violence

This article focuses on understanding on how witnessing violence in defined, what we know about its effects on children, and how such information may be used or misused.

Children, Young People and Domestic Violence (pdf)

The author explores "the ways in which children and young people experience domestic violence," as well as the impact it has on child development and the response by professionals and the child protection system is also reviewed.

Civil and Criminal Responses to Children and Youth Who Experience Domestic Violence: A Model Policy Response for Vermont (pdf)

This series was created through a collaboration of the Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, the Vermont Department for Children and Families and the Vermont Center for Crime Victim Services. Part II of the series provides well-documented information for policy development regarding criminal and civil responses to issues impacting children exposed to domestic violence that hold batterers accountable. The paper incudes a discussion of unintended consequences of these policies, a review of several state statutes and a model response and recommendations for Vermont.

Conversations with Mothers of Color Who Have Experienced Domestic Violence Regarding Working with Men to End Domestic Violence (pdf)

This document explores the attitudes and perceptions of women of color survivors with children. The overarching objective was to hear what women had to say about efforts to engage men and fathers of color as allies in stopping intimate partner violence and restoring health in partnership and parenting. The research was undertaken by the Family Violence Prevention Fund as part of the development of our national violence prevention campaign.

Domestic Violence and Children: A Children's Health Fund Report (pdf)

The author discusses domestic violence as a pediatric issue and as a valuable source for intervention.

Domestic Violence and children: Analysis and Recommendations (pdf)

This document reviews the prevalence of child exposure to domestic violence by documenting their existence in all segments of the community. The impact of exposure on children is also discussed.

Domestic Violence and Welfare Policy: Research Findings That Can Inform Policies on Marriage and Child Well-Being (pdf)

The author looks at domestic violence among women on welfare, the impact on children who are exposed to violence in the home, and methods to increase the stability of marriages.

Domestic Violence as a Form of Child Abuse: Identification and Prevention

By looking at the ways child exposure to domestic violence manifests itself during the various stages of a child's life, the author documents ways to identify problems in exposed children and discusses specific intervention strategies.

Domestic Violence Homicide: The Children Left Behind

This is a link to an audio presentation given by the author regarding her research findings from interviews with adults who lost their parent(s) as children due to fatal acts of domestic violence. A powerpoint presentation is also available on this link that addresses the points discussed in her lecture.

Domestic Violence is associated with environmental suppression of IQ in young children

The researchers document the consequences of early childhood stress, such as exposure to domestic violence, on brain development, which subsequently can lead to a lower IQ.

Domestic Violence Services

Being knowledgeable about domestic violence services available to families, particularly children who have been exposed to violence in the home, has become increasingly important. This document offers an array of links, information, and resources related to such services.

Dual or Multiple Relationships: Guidelines for Rural Domestic Violence and Child Protection Collaborations (pdf)

This is part of a series that was created through a collaboration of the Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, the Vermont Department for Children and Families and the Vermont Center for Crime Victim Services. Part VI discusses actual and perceived conflicts of interest when service providers act in more than one role or relationship, providing recommendations on how to address these dilemmas/questions.

Effects of Domestic Violence on Children